ILLINOIS: Nathan Scheelhaase threw for one TD and ran for another, but that
effort went for naught as the Fighting Illini dropped a 31-14 decision at
Wisconsin over the weekend. Illinois was outgained by 143 yards (427-284), and
averaged just 3.1 yards per rush attempt. Scheelhaase, who finished with 178
yards passing and 84 yards rushing, was sacked four times and was picked off
once. WR Darius Milliness led the UI receiving corps with five catches for 54
yards. The Illini have lost three straight games to fall to 2-4 on the year,
and they've beaten only one FBS team (Western Michigan in the season opener).
Coach Tim Beckman's squad will try to put the brakes on the current slide when
it plays at No. 25 Michigan this Saturday.

INDIANA: The Hoosiers held a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of
Saturday's home game against Michigan State, but couldn't hold off the
Spartans who wound up earning the 31-27 victory. QB Cameron Coffman threw for
282 yards and three TDs, hitting WR Shane Wynn a dozen times for 70 yards and
a score. As for the Indiana ground attack, it was limited to 35 net yards by a
MSU defense which allowed just 4-of-15 third-down attempts to be converted
successfully. Second-year head coach Kevin Wilson has yet to taste victory in
a Big Ten bout, going 0-8 last year and 0-2 this season. Changing that fact
this week won't be easy as undefeated Ohio State comes to Bloomington. IU will
then travel to Annapolis, Maryland for a non-conference clash with Navy before
playing at Illinois on Oct. 27.

IOWA: The Hawkeyes were idle over the weekend, giving them additional time to
prepare for this Saturday's road clash with Michigan State. Iowa has
alternated wins and losses in its first five games, and it owns an overall
record of 3-2 and 1-0 in conference. The team's most recent outing resulted in
a 31-13 win over Minnesota on Sept. 29, putting the wraps on a four-game home
stand in the process.

MICHIGAN: Denard Robinson was a one-man wrecking crew for the Maize and Blue
at Purdue on Saturday, rushing for 235 yards and throwing for 105 more with a
TD. The Wolverines finished with 409 yards of total offense compared to just
213 for the Boilermakers, who wound up on the short end of a 44-13 final. It
was a nice bounce-back effort for UM, which lost at Notre Dame two weeks
earlier, 13-6. Robinson's effort on the ground enabled him to set the Big Ten
record for rushing yards by a QB (3,905), previously held by Indiana's Antwaan
Randle El (3,895). He is just 576 yards away from claiming the NCAA's top
spot. Back to the Purdue game, RB Fitz Toussaint scored a pair of first-
quarter rushing TDs, while DB Raymon Taylor returned an interception 63 yards
for a score early on, and PK Brendan Gibbons booted three field goals, all in
the second half. It's Homecoming in Ann Arbor this week, as the struggling
Illinois Fighting Illini come to town.

MICHIGAN STATE: Andrew Maxwell threw for a career-high 290 yards and two TDs
to help the Spartans rally past the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, 31-27. It
was the fourth straight win for Michigan State over Indiana in the battle for
the Old Brass Spittoon, and the 12th in the last 14 meetings overall. In
addition to Maxwell, other Spartan standouts included WR Aaron Burbridge
(eight catches for 134) and RB Le'Veon Bell (121 rushing yards, two TDs). MSU,
which gave up nearly 200 yards in the first quarter, made the necessary
adjustments and held Indiana to just 37 yards and two first downs after
intermission. The Hoosiers tallied a meager 35 net rushing yards for the game,
and they were successful on only 4-of-15 third-down conversion attempts. The
Iowa Hawkeyes are next on the docket for Michigan State, which will then face
bitter rival Michigan in Ann Arbor the following week.

MINNESOTA: The Golden Gophers had this past weekend off, affording them some
extra time to prepare for this Saturday's visit from the Northwestern
Wildcats. Minnesota had opened the year at 4-0, but a 31-13 loss at Iowa on
Sept. 29 has the team at 0-1 in conference. Including this week's game, the
Gophers will play three of their next four, and four of their final seven in
front of the hometown faithful.

NEBRASKA: The Cornhuskers jumped out to a 17-7 lead at Ohio State on Saturday,
but the Buckeyes came storming back to claim a 63-38 win. The loss snapped a
three-game win streak for Nebraska, and the 63 points scored by OSU was the
fourth-highest total ever put up against the Huskers, who fell to 4-2 overall
and 1-1 in conference. Nebraska got solid offensive performances from RBs Rex
Burkhead (119 rushing yards) and Ameer Abdullah (two TDs), as well WR Kenny
Bell (133 receiving yards). QB Taylor Martinez (15-of-25, 214 yards, one
passing TD, two rushing scores) threw three interceptions, one of which was
returned 41 yards for a TD just six and a half minutes into the contest. DE
Eric Martin was one of three Nebraska defenders to log nine tackles in the
game, and he posted both of the team's sacks. The Huskers are idle this coming
week, next playing at Northwestern on Oct. 20.

NORTHWESTERN: Leading 28-17 heading into the fourth quarter at Penn State over
the weekend, it appeared as if the Wildcats were going to keep their perfect
2012 record in tact and move to 6-0 to start a season for the first time since
1962. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions had other plans as they scored 22
unanswered points in the final frame to complete the shocking comeback. The
Northwestern offense was limited to 247 total yards in less than 21 minutes of
possession time, and it generated just 14 first downs compared to 443 yards
and 30 first downs for the home team. RB Venric Mark rushed for 72 yards and a
TD, and he added another score on a 75-yard punt return near the end of the
third quarter, becoming only the second player in school history to return two
punts for TDs in the same season. A week after amassing 161 yards and four TDs
on the ground, and 131 yards on nine receptions, Kain Colter was held to a
combined 41 yards and a TD by the swarming PSU defense. LB Damien Proby led
four NU defenders in double-digit tackles with 16. The 'Cats will try to get
back in the win column when they play at Minnesota this Saturday.

OHIO STATE: Despite trailing early, the Buckeyes never lost faith in their
recent clash with visiting Nebraska, scoring 56 points in the final three
quarters to earn a 63-38 victory. QB Braxton Miller was a man possessed as he
ran for 186 yards and a TD, while adding 127 yards and a score in the passing
game. Not to be outdone, RB Carlos Hyde had a tremendous game of his own by
rushing for 140 yards and four TDs -- the first four-TD rushing game by an OSU
back since Eddie George turned the trick against Iowa on Oct. 28, 1995. The
Buckeyes defense surrendered 223 rushing yards and 437 total for the game, but
came up with four turnovers, one of which resulted in a TD when DB Bradley
Roby returned an interception 41 yards to open the day's scoring. The Buckeyes
also got a special teams score when Corey Brown returned a punt 76 yards to
pay dirt with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter. Ohio
State puts its perfect record (6-0) on the line once again this week when it
heads to Bloomington for a conference clash with the Indiana Hoosiers.

PENN STATE: Trailing by double digits heading into the fourth quarter, the
Nittany Lions scored the game's final 22 points to claim a 39-28 win over
visiting Northwestern on Saturday. It was Penn State's fourth straight win
after opening the season at 0-2. QB Matt McGloin threw for 282 yards and two
TDs against the Wildcats, while adding a five-yard rushing score late in the
final frame to give PSU a lead it wouldn't relinquish. McGloin's 35
completions set a new school record, and his 51 attempts were a personal high.
RB Zach Zwinak rumbled his way to a career-high 121 yards and a TD, while WR
Allen Robinson finished with nine catches for 85 yards and was on the
receiving end of both of McGloin's passing scores. The PSU defense did a
tremendous job of keeping the dynamic Kain Colter (reigning co-Offensive
Player of the Week in the Big Ten) to a combined 41 yards. Overall, the
Wildcats tallied a mere 247 total yards in less than 21 minutes of possession
time. LB Gerald Hodges was high man on the Penn State defense with 11 tackles,
and he added 1.5 TFL, two PBU and a forced fumble to his solid stat line. The
Lions are idle this week, allowing them some extra time to game plan for their
next bout at Iowa on Oct. 20.

PURDUE: Try as they might, the Boilermakers simply could not stop Michigan's
Denard Robinson, as the versatile signal-caller led the visiting Wolverines to
a 44-13 win on Saturday. Robinson gutted the Purdue defense for 235 rushing
yards, and in the process became the Big Ten's all-time leading ground gainer
among quarterbacks. In stark contrast, the Boilermakers gained just 56 yards
on the ground and only 213 total for the game. The PU offense turned the ball
over four times, with only WR O.J. Ross doing much with his eight grabs for 46
yards and a TD. QB Caleb TerBush completed 16-of-25 passes for 105 yards with
a TD and an interception, while backup Robert Marve threw a pick himself as he
went 5-of-8 for 43 yards. DT Kawann Short recorded eight tackles to pace the
defense, which forced only one turnover and failed to record a sack. The
Boilermakers will play their Homecoming game this Saturday against the
Wisconsin Badgers.

WISCONSIN: Joel Stave threw for a career-high 254 yards and two TDs, and
Montee Ball ran for 116 yards and a pair scores to power the Badgers to a
31-14 victory over visiting Illinois on Saturday. The win was Wisconsin's 20th
straight at home, giving the team the second-longest active home winning
streak in the nation. WR Jared Abbrederis posted game-highs in both catches
(seven) and receiving yards (117), and he scored on a 59-yard pass from Stave
with just over three minutes gone in the third quarter. Abbrederis has gone
over 100 receiving yards in three straight games, making him the first Badger
to do so since Lee Evans back in 2001. Despite converting just 2-of-10 third-
down opportunities, UW wound up with 427 yards of total offense compared to
just 284 for the Fighting Illini, and the Badgers defense notched a pair of
turnovers to go along with four sacks. Mike Taylor (12) was one of three
Wisconsin defenders to finish with double-digit tackles. Next up for the
Badgers is this Saturday's road clash with the Purdue Boilermakers.